Pesto is one of my favorite sauces EVER for pasta. It doesn't involve many ingredients and has plenty of flavor without using a ton of it.

You will need:A bunch of basil, no stems. How much basil you use depends on your taste - I tend to use slightly less.Some grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 to 1 cup - grating it yourself is ideal.3 or more cloves of garlic - I usually opt for more.A handful(or so) of pine nuts - rawA few tablespoons of olive oil - some restaurants make it way too oily, so I usually go for a little less than them.

The best way to do this is probably by chopping it yourself, but to conserve time you can pop it all in a blender. Chopping it yourself gives it more texture and taste, but I really like not having to do work! So, chop it up or toss it in the blender. Do it in increments, with the garlic and about half of the basil in one batch, then add more basil after that. Next add half of the pine nuts, chop/blend for a bit, then the rest and chop/blend for a bit. Next goes the cheese, half at a time as well. Once the pesto is at a moldable consistency, take it out of the blender/off the chopping board and put it in a bowl, then add the oil. Mix it or just put it on top, doesn't matter much. If you use it right away it is better to mix it, but if you want to keep it for a while before using it just mix the oil in right before you use the pesto. It keeps a little better that way.

As I mentioned earlier, just a little bit will do the trick for any pasta you want to put it on - at least, compared to tomato sauces and alfredo. You can also use this on vegetarian(or otherwise) sandwiches - put some cheese on there, maybe some greens, add the pesto, and WOO! Garlicy sandwich of awesome!

Pesto keeps pretty well in the refrigerator or freezer, if you don't end up using all of it. To reheat it the microwave is good enough, but you'll have to mix in the oil again after reheating it.